April 2003
Sistas 'N the City

Reviewed by Chika Chukudebelu

Sistas 'N the City (DVD Review)
Distributor: WEA, Lightyear Entertainment
Writer: Tina Andrews
Producer: Urban Entertainment
Cast: Dawnn Lewis, Marcy T. House, Medusa
Running Time: 85 minutes
Website: http://www.lightyear.com/sistas/

The sistas are Tamika, Mercedes, Jordan and Athena and the city is the illustrious backdrop of Chicago. Sistas ‘N the City, an animated short film series pulled from Urban Entertainment’s roster, chronicles the love lives of four single women and their experiences on their journey to finding good men…or women. Covering everything from mama’s boys and daddy’s princesses to lesbian weddings and interracial relationships, Sistas explores the sex with the uncensored candor of HBO’s Sex and the City.

Tamika, the high-powered public relations executive, almost has it all. As her own boss, she is the dictator of her success. However her company’s success hinges upon the fact that their biggest account is the family owned business of her boyfriend, Juwan. Tamika panics when she is faced with the possibility of having to fold when Juwan’s family gives Tamika the ultimatum to either come on board or lose their account. With Juwan always at his mother’s every beck and call, Tamika knows it’s a lose-lose situation.

Mercedes, the struggling artist, has a history of only giving it up for White guys. Having been teased by Black boys in high school, Mercedes no longer considers them an option. Jordan is the quintessential Black American Princess who’s very used to being taken care of. Lastly there’s Athena, the up and coming performing artist, who’s planning her wedding to her lesbian lover while deciding just how much of herself to sell in order to land a recording contract.

While the animated vignettes are sure to spark some very interesting conversation amidst any group of good girlfriends, the limited time frame of each episode proves to be a tough hurdle toward the goal of creating developed characters. The short bits don’t do enough to draw you in to the characters’ lives and sometimes leave you with the feeling that these women are extremely shallow. The cliché high fives and the snappy quips are often more annoying than endearing. Andrews does successfully establish four very distinct characters that she can definitely build upon. However without further depth, the series is a long way from establishing a following like that of its HBO counterpart.

Also included on the DVD are a Sistas Roundtable discussion, Tina Andrews Interview, and Medusa Interview.